Feeding Predators – How We Can Reduce Damage to Moose, Deer, and Livestock
Wolves and cougars create problems for some ranchers, while others want these predators fully protected. Frustration grows as illegal hunting increases, and for those living in affected areas the situation can feel unsustainable. But we can reduce the damage—without drastically changing predator numbers—by using the same method already applied to other wildlife: targeted feeding.
Wolves and cougars are opportunists that conserve energy whenever possible. Research from Yellowstone shows that a wolf pack may rest for up to a full day after a large meal. During that time, they do not hunt elk, bison, or deer. At the same time, the method allows hunting to be directed at specific problem individuals—those that roam widely and therefore rarely visit feeding sites.
Baiting can also reduce bear and wolverine predation on moose and reindeer calves, and targeted feeding during the breeding season can lessen the impact of coyotes and foxes on fawns and forest birds.
It is well documented that predators sometimes attack even when they are not acutely hungry—for example, when prey appears unusually easy to catch. But leaving resting sites, actively searching for prey, and risking injury during an attack are all strongly tied to energy needs. This means that feeding sites should significantly reduce attack frequency, even if they do not eliminate it entirely.
We already do this for every other type of wildlife. Predators are essentially the only animals we don’t feed. We plant wildlife fields, provide supplemental feed for ungulates and eagles, place salt licks, and feed turkeys and songbirds. If we want to reduce damage to wildlife and livestock, the same logic must apply to large predators.
One solution is to establish three to four feeding sites in each wolf territory, ideally moved a few hundred meters each time they are replenished. Suitable bait includes livestock carcasses unfit for human consumption, road‑killed animals, slaughter waste, or the millions of spent laying hens replaced each year—birds that today often cost money to dispose of. Automated feeders with specialized dog food can naturally be used as supplemental feed.
Feeding sites would also benefit biodiversity. In today’s landscape, few large animals die naturally. A bait site therefore becomes an important resource for all predators in the area, as well as overwintering small birds.
With feeding sites and trail cameras, we can identify individuals, control access to food and resting areas, and keep wolves well‑fed in remote forest locations—rather than having them move toward settlements, livestock, or strip the landscape of game. Wolf “comfort” can be increased by creating several suitable den sites near the feeding areas.
Simply restricting legal hunting is not a sustainable solution, and it creates problems in Europe as well. In Norway, for example, ten people have been charged with organized wolf poaching in a case that also involves Swedish citizens. This shows that the current situation is not working—we need new, practical methods.
We already feed deer and birds. Feed the predators too, and the problems for ranchers will decrease—and we will have more deer and moose even in these regions.
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- Helioshade™: Engineering the Sun — A Scientific Proposal for Planetary Protection
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